This invention relates to retaining apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for retaining and interconnecting a portable computing device and a peripheral device such as a modem, pager, or other accessory.
Portable computing devices such as calculators and notebook- or palm-sized computers are often used in conjunction with peripheral devices such as modems, printers and the like. Conventionally, such peripheral devices are connected to the portable computing device with an electrical cable. Although simple, this technique makes it difficult to compactly carry the devices and limits the portability of the computing system as a whole.
One approach to solving this problem is to plug the peripheral device directly into the computing device. This approach provides rigidity and compactness not possible with a cable connection. However, it has several disadvantages. It requires additional hardware on the devices to make the mechanical connection since standard, general purpose electrical connectors are not designed for such a connection. And the additional hardware likely would block or otherwise interfere with the operation of the standard electrical connectors on these devices such as serial ports and AC connectors.
A variation on the above approach is to connect the peripheral device to the computing device through a card port on those devices having such a port. This approach, however, interferes with the use of the card port for other purposes, such as memory expansion. It also is undesirable because of the long, thin shape required of the connector for connecting the peripheral device to the card port.
Another approach is to connect the devices with an electrical cable and then bundle the devices together in a pouch. This has the advantage of simplicity in design. But it is unwieldy, and it limits access to the several ports of the computing device for additional peripheral devices including the port occupied by the electrical cable.